Automobile bumper guard



June 1953 P. M. MITCHELL AUTOMOBILE BUMPER GUARD Filed Aug. 4, 1947 Patented June lfi, 1953 AUTOMOBILE BUMPER GUARD Paul M. Mitchell, Chicago, 111., assignor 0! onehalf to Alice M. Mitchell, Chicago, Ill.

ApplicationA'ugust 4, 1947, Serial No. 766,015

, 14 Claims.

My invention relates generally to bumper uards and particularly. to guards for vehicle bumpers. Although the bumper guard of my invention is adapted to be used in conjunction with a variety of types of bumpers secured either to fixed or movable objects, it is especially useful when employed with an automobile bumper and I shall therefore describe it in that connection.

Early in the manufacture of automobiles it became standard practice to apply a bumper element, usually connected with the frame, at the forward end and at the rear end of the automobile in order to provide protection against damage to the frame and body by reason of a collision. with some object. Since the various manufac turers of automobiles have never standardized upon the height of their bumpers from the road, it has been a common experience when two automobiles collide with each other, even though gently, to have the bumper of one automobile own brakes, also cause a lowering oi ltsfront-end with the result that the second car inli'n'e may easilyrun its bumper beneath the raised bumper of the car preceding it.

Although automobiles generally backwardly one after another in closerelationship, the same interlocking may result if an automobile is being backed quickly into a parking space and the brakes are ap d uddenly, sin e the rear end ofthe automobile may then be lowered sufficiently to have its rear bumperpass beneath the bumper of an automobile parked behind it. During such parking operations the adjacent bumpers are seldom parallel to each other and if one overrides another they usually cross "at an angle. a

In an attempt to prevent the passage of a bumper of" one automobile past the bumper of slide up over thetop of a bumper of another automobile, or to slide undersaid other bumper, with resulting damage to the bodies of both automobiles and occasionally to the cooling systems, engines, luggage compartments, headlights, and other parts of the automobiles. bumpers pass over each other in the manner de scribed above, it is not uncommon for'them-to hook upon the baok'sides of each other or an adjacent part of the frame or body thus rendering them impossible to separate untilthe upper bumper has been lifted sufliciently,"or the lower one pushed down, so that they may be unhooked and then moved away from each other. When the bumpers do become so hooked togethei. tools 1 When the r for raising or lowering the adjacent ends of the automobiles and bumpers are seldom .conveniently available so-drlvers or passers-by'are compelled to attempt manually to extricate the two vehicles. Such attempts commonly result in muscular strains and in some instances in damage to or severance of the fingers or otherinjuries to the hands of the individual.

Even with the bumpers of different automobiles above the road that does not preventxthe interlockingor hooking of the bumpers by one passing, beneath or over th bumper of another automo; bile, since, during the application of'the brakes of an automobile, when itis moving forwardly, the front end of the automobile is lowered and the rear end is raised if *the'vehicle is being stopped quickly. An automobile which follows upon the'path of another which has come to a another vehicle. automobile manufacturers or suppliers of parts have made available various shapes of bumper guards in the form of spurs or posts which are secured to the bumper and extend vertically above and below it. In manyinstances the spurs or posts which are connected with the bumper serve to prevent the passage of one bumper past another, However, at such time as the bumper of one vehicle rides over the bumper on another vehicle and also the spur or post carried by said bumper, the interlocking of the two bumpers-and their spurs becomes even more complete. It then becomes necessary to raise the automobile, whose bumper has ridden over the bumper of another, to even a. greater height than before to disengage the two bumpers and their spurs (or to lower the bumper which is lowermost agreater degree) before the two cars cause said motor to operate.' Suchpushing is not without" difiiculties even when the bumpers are thesame height 'above'the ground, and it is still being positioned'at substantially'the same height L mor diflicult when the bumpers are or difierent height. This is true even though the bumpers have guards attached thereto, as the pressure bumper of the vehicle being pushed.

It is. one object of my invention 'tofprovide a guardlelementfor a bumper, which guard elee ment s'erves'to prevent-the passage or the bumper of another vehicle over or under lts ow'n bumper. It is another objector my invention to provide a orrlcs l are not driven bumper or pressing down on the lowermost bumper.

In the accomplishment of the first two objects I provide a bumper guard which has an inwardly curved or concave surface which has its axis of.

curvature substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bumper. Since the outer surfaces of bumpers are generally convex, theconcave or inwardly directed surface of my bumper guard is adapted to center the bumper of an adjacent vehicle with respect to the bumper of the vehicle on which my form of bumper guard is installed. Even though the bumper of the adjacent vehicle may be higher or lower than the bumper carrying my guard, the guard thereby tends to bring them to the same level so that it is'possible for the two vehicles to collide bumper to bumper, and obtain the benefit of the resiliency of the bumpers without danger of the bumpers riding over or under each other. This centering action is particularly advantageous when the driver of one automobile wishes to push another automobile over a road which is'uneven.

'In accomplishing the' third object of my in ventionnamely, to provide -a bumper guard which, if passed over or under by the bumper of another car, will permit the ready release of the other bumper from the bumper on which my guard is carried and from said "guard itself- I provide a spherical surface over which the interlocked bumper of "an adjacent car may readily pass to a free position without catching orhooking on.

the guard or on the bumper. Since thefgreatest part of the surface of the' guard is spherical or similarly curved it is'possible to release a bumper of one car, which has passed overthe bumper carrying my guard, even when the bumpers have passed over each other at an angle since the curvature of-the guard is the same, or substantially so, at all points over which'the bumper to be'released will ride; The curved surface acts as a cam for smoothly and easily raising, or lowering, the bumper, which has passed over or under the guard of my invention and the bumper carrying it, and therebypermits release of the bumpers, one past the other. Although one or more of the bumper guardsmay be employed on each bumper I prefer the employment of three of them spaced apart from each othenalong the bumper, preferably with alarger guard in the center and a smaller one near each end. I

It isa further object of my inventionto provide a bumper'guard having the foregoing characteristics which also is adaptable for use with bumpers of varying sizes withoutjrequiring a ch'ange in, or replacement of, the parts of the bumper or guard. It is a further object in this connection that the guard be so formed'th'at it may easily be attached. to the bumper by-theowner of'the car with ordinary tools,. the assistance of a skilled mechanic being unnecessary. j

It is a further object-of my invention to provide a spherical bumper guard which has athiclzened front portion, sincethe front portion'will receive the, strongest blows, and a hollow rear-portion which serves primarily as acam Surface which re- 4 ceives less impact and stress. This not only results in a guard which is less expensive to produce but also one which is less expensive to ship and is easier to handle. The bumper guard may be manufactured by any suitable forming operation. Further objects, uses and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description when taken with the drawing in which: I

Figure l is a front elevational view of a bumper guard embodying my invention secured to a bumper which is shown fragmentarily:

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

-Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 13-45 of'Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view, on reduced scale, of the bumper guard of Figure 1;

, Figure 5 is a central, vertical section. a modified form of bumper guard embodying my invention; and

Figure 6 is a central, horizontal section of yet another modified form; of bumper guard'incorporating my invention. Like reference numerals have been employed in the several views to indicate the same or similar elements where practicable.

QReferring now to Figures 1 through i there will be seen a bumper guard embodying my invention, which guard is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 and is secured to a bumper'which is shown fragmentarily and indicated generally by the reference numeral 3. In the preferred form of m invention I construct the bumper guard in two parts consisting of a front portion, indicated generally by the reference numeral 5, and a rear portion, indicated generallyby the reference numeral l. The front portion 5'bears against the front surface of the bumper 3 by means of a pair of projectionsfi and 8' which fit within recesses i l and i I formed in the wall of the rear portion 7-. As may be seen most clearly from Figures 2 and 3, bumper 3 is adapted to pass through the bumper guard l substantially along a diameter of the rear portion I, which rear portion is substantially spherical in outline. When I refer to front portion 5 and rear portion 1 it will be understood that the words front and rear are relative terms indicating the position of the greatest part of each of said portions with respect to'the bumper when the bumper passes through the guard. It will be understood. however, that the bumper guard i could be so constructed that the bumper 3 could pass through the guard i at other locations and could even be secured to a front or rear surface of the guard.

The projections 9 and 9' are located on opposite sides of the front portion 5 and are adapted to press tightly against the bumper 3 when the means for fastening the front and rear portions together is employed, as will be pointed out more fully hereinafter. In this manner the guard is secured. firmly to the bumper against displace merit in any direction transversely of the bumper or-longitudinally thereof. It will be appreciated that in place of the projections 9 and 3' there may be employed a single projection extending from side to side of the front portion 5, thus maklongitudinal axis of the bumper 3. =trated form, surface l represents the surface produced in the intersection of a cylinder with a durable material, I prefer to form'it substantially hollow as shown most clearly in Figures '2 and 3. It has sufficient strength in such hollow form and it is much lighter to handle and less expensive to produce when so constructed. However, I prefer to form the front portion 5 as a substantially solid member since it will be that portion of the bumper guard which is subjected to the severest and most direct blows.

As will be noted most clearly from Figures 1, .2 and 3 that the front portion 5 includes a surface I3 which is a continuation of the spherical surface of the rear portion 1. The front surface I5 of front portion 5 is, however, directed inwardly and is adapted to have a shape complementary to the shape of the object, such as another bumper,

against which it is most often adapted to abut. It will be noted that surface I5 is curved andthat the deepest portion of the curve is positioned substantially centrally of the front portion 5 and 1 solid proiectiortis substituted for projections ii 6 front portion. 5, or by ing from side to side ofsaid front portion, if said and 9. Byrea-son of the manner of interconnection of the front portion 5 and the rear portion I by threaded bolts I1 and Il it will be seen that bumpers of varyingthicknesses may be accommodated and pressed between the projection 9 has its axis of curvature substantially parallel to,

and at the same level above the groundas, the

In the illussphere. This construction of the front portion 5 serves to center again t the bumper 3 a bumper of another automobile which other bumper is somewhat higher or somewhat lower than the bumper 3 carrying the bumper guard I of my in- .vention. By this means my guard lserves to prevent the bumperof another automobile from slipfront portion 5 of my bumper guard which surface would be best adapted to center such objects with respect to the guard and the bumper carrying it. Not only does this centering operation serve to prevent the object, such as another bumper, from sliding over or under the bumper carrying th guard but it also serves to position the object directly in front of the bumper 3 so that the flexibility thereof may best be employed in absorbing any shock from contact with the object.

It will be observed that the front portion 5 is secured to the rear portion 7 by means of a pair of threadedbolts I7 and I? which pass through apertures I9 and IS in the front portion 5 and which are threaded into sockets 2 I and 2! in the rear portion I. The heads 23 and. 23' of the bolts I1 and I1, respectively, are adapted to seat against shoulders and 25', respectively, at the inner ends of the enlarged bores or recesses?! and 2'! which are aligned with the-apertures and I9.

The recesses Ii and II in the rear-portion I of my bumper guard I may bemade sufficiently large vertically, to accommodate thelargesti'of the bumpers which will be encountered in normal use. This will then permit bumpers of lesser height to also fit within therecesses II and II and be pressed against the respective surfaces 29 of said recesses by the projections9 and 9' of the and 9' and the rear walls 29 of the recesses I I and.

II respectively. Since the heads 23 and 23 -'of the bolts I1 and I'l respectively, are seated within. the bores or recesses-21 and 27 beneath-the surface: [-5 of the front portion 5 they do not obstruct any centermg operation which the front portion 5 performs and are not adapted to be sheared off by an object engaged by said front portion. Itwill be understood that other forms of fastening means may be employed" to secure together'the: front portion 5 to the rear portion 7 and, thereby, hold the bumper guard I tothe bumper 3.

Although I have described the rear portion I as having a spherical surface 8 it will be understood therefrom in a forward direction very easily without danger of catching at said cleavage plane. To further reduceany possibility of -an; object catching or hooking at the cleavage plane I form the front edge 3| of the spherical rear portion i in such a fashion that it overlies the adjacent edge 33, that is, the rear edge, of thefront portion 5 at least at two places as indicated by the ref erence numerals 35 and-35 ;I may also'substitute for the cleavage planeshown, a different line of cleavage such as that shown by the dotdash line B of FigurejZ, which line does not lie in a single plane but instead runs on the bias so as to lessen the possibility of a bumpers being caught in it.

So that the front portion 5 and rear portion '1 will not shift relative to. each other when they are secured together by the bolts I! and I1, the rearportion I at its forward edge carries pro- .jections 31 and 31' which are adapted .to fit in complementary recesses 39 and 39 in the front portion'5. In addition to preventing relative movement longitudinally of the bumper the projections 31 and 3'! and recesses 33 and 39' also prevent relative rotation of the front portion 5 with respect to the rear portion I. Inter-fitting of the'two portions in this manner also serves as 'a means for easily; and properly positioning the front and rear portions together so that they may be easily secured together by the bolts I i and I1. It will readily be seen that any object, such as a bumper of another car, for example, 'whichpasses over or under the bumper} and the guard I may be readily withdrawn; from behind the bumper and guard sincethe curved upper or lower surface of theyguarcl I will permit the object to ride upwardly and over thetop of the guard and off of it"andthe bumper, or downwardly and under the guard and bumper, to a free and untangled position.

It is not at all necessary that theobject needs to ride over the .bumper 3 and guard I into a position behind said bumper and guard parallel .to the; bumper 3,

a solidl proiection'extend- I for even if said other bumper lies at an angle across the bumper 3 ahdbehind the guard I said otherbumper may readily be withdrawn regardless of the anglesince the surface 8 of the rear portion 1 is curved equally at all portions of its surface. In the preferred employment of my invention I provide three bumper guards for a bumperwith the guards being spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis of the bumper 3, preferably with a larger guard in the center and smaller guards adjacent the ends. Since the cleavage plane between the front portion and the rear portion 1 is located forwardly of the highest part, or the lowest part, of the bumper guard l, a bumper which is being disentangled and is riding over, or under, said guard is already free of the guard and is sliding downwardly, or upwardly from the surface of the guard before it reaches the cleavage plane and consequently there will be no catching in the slight gap which exists between the front portion 5 and rear portion 1. Even though the bumper 3 which carries the guard I may be exceptionally thick and causes a greater than normal separation between said front and rear portions, the bumper which is being disentangled will be carried over the gap by reason of the fact that the rear portion 1 overhangs the front portion 5 as at 35 and 35. Where a cleavage plane such as that indicated by the dot-dash line B of Figure 2 is employed, the bumper will be riding over the cleavage plane at an angle and will therefore not fall into any gap which may exist between the front and rear portions.

Although I prefer,'when making the bumper guard I of two pieces, to have the cleavage plane similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 through 3, it ispossible to provide a cleavage plane at right angles to that illustrated inFigures l'through 3 as may be seen from the form of bumper guard 4| illustrated in Figure 6. .The cleavage plane is along the line 43 and the bumper 3 is adapted to 7 pass through an aperture 45 in a first portion 41 and through an aperture 45' in a second portion 49 of the bumper guard 4|. In positioning the two portions 47 and 49 on the bumper, each is led onto the bumper by having an end of the bumper pass through the apertures 45 and 45. Bolts such as the bolts 51 and 5! may be used to secure the portions 47 and 49 together in very much the same manner as that shown in Figures 1 through 3. Projections such as the projection 53 on the portion 49 are adapted to interfit with correspondingly shaped recesses 55 formed in the portion 41. The interengagement of the projections and recesses prior to their being secured together by the bolts 51 and El aligns the two portions and also prevents relative movement between said portions when they are secured together about the bumper 3. Since most bumpers are slightly bowed, fastening of the two portions 4! and 49 together will tend to have the side edges of the apertures 45 and 45 bear against the edges of the bumper and prevent movement longitudinally thereof by the guard.

Referring now to Figure 5, there will beseen a modified form of bumper guard Ia wherein the front portion 5a and the rear portion 'laare hinged together as at It so that the bumper guard la may have its portions 5a and la swung apart and thereby separated sufficiently to permit the guard to be fitted about the bumper 3. When fitted about the bumper 3, the guard Ia may then have its portions 5a and la. secured together by bolts Fla and [1b. It will be noted that the rear portion la has a curved surface which, in the preferred form, is spherical with the total outer area being substantially greater than the outer area provided by a hemisphere. The front portion Ed has its front face i5a inwardly curved toward the bumper 3 and is adapted to center objects, such as another bumper, with which it may come into engagement. The rear portion la has a wall, indicated generally by the reference numeral I2, at the free or forward edge of the rear portion la, which wall is inclined backwardly from both the top and bottom of portion la toward a recessed portion 14, said recessed portion being adapted to fit about the bumper 3 and have the rear side of said bumper pressed against the wall 29a of the recessed portion it by a projection 9a formed on the front portionEa of the bumper guard la.: The recessed portion I4 is of such height as to accommodate bumper guards of varying heights and the recessed portion has a depth greater than the thickness of any bumper with which it will be employed. The front portion 5a of the bumper guard la is also adapted, by reason of its hinged connection I!) with the rear portion Ta, to allow for bumpers of different thicknesses. Since bumpers of different thicknesses will cause a variation in the angle between the portions 5d and la, the apertures 59:: and [9b in front portion 5a of the bumper guard la are so formed as to have a diameter greater than the diameter of the bolts lid and Nb which are adapted to pass therethrough. The enlarged diameter of passageways 19a and I91) is provided so that when the bolts lid and Nb are threaded into apertures 2m and Zib in the wall l2 said bolts need not lie along the longitudinal axes of the apertures Mia and !9b but instead may lie at an angle therewith when the front portion 5a: is required by a thick bumper to lie forwardly of its normal position. The bolts Ha and 11b, when drawn up tight, serve to press the bumper 3 against the wall 28a of the recessed portion 54 in wall H by the single solid projection 9a of front portion 5a and to prevent the bumper guard m from being shifted in any direction with respect to the bumper. It will be seen that the heads 23a and 23b of the bolts Ha and Nb, respectively, are adapt-ed to bear against shoulders 25a and 251) formed at the junction of the passageways [9a and [9b with the larger-diameter bores or recesses 27a and 27b.

It will be observed that the forward free edge 31 at the underside of V the rear portion la is adapted to overlie the front portion 5a of the bumper guard la so that there will be no possibility for an object, such as another bumper, to catch in the gap between the portions 5a and 1a when said other bumper is being pulled from behind the bumper guard la and bumper 3. Furthermore, the hinged connection it between ortions 5a and la is positioned at the upper side of the bumper guard la forwardly of the highest part of said guard so that any object passing over the upper surface of the rear portion Id of the bumper guard will already have become free of the guard and bumper before it comes to the hinged connection and will be moving downwardly at that time and be able freely to pass the wall I: is so located --that the 3 1s carried substantially centrally of the bumper guard id-" and substantially alonjg' a diameter of the spherical surface Ba of the" rear portion lg. Although this is the preferred'locatio'r of the bumper 3 with respect to t h'e bumper guard 'l'a, it will be understood that a modification of the structure of the guard la. will-permit thebumper 3 to be located forwardly, "rearwardly, upwar ly ordownwardly from the position illustrated-in Figure 5. Although the wall l2 may cover the entire front end of the rear portion 1a, that is not required since it is only necessary that sufficient bearing surface be provided for the bumper 3 by the recessed portion I4 against which the bumper 3 may be pressed by the projection 9a carried by the front portion a.

When it is desired to connect the bumper guard la of Figure 5 to a bumper 3 the front portion Ea is swung away from the rear portion la by the hinged connection 10 and the rear portion la is positioned about the bumper 3 by seating said bumper within the recessed portion [4 of the wall l2. The front portion 5a is then swung down by the hinged connection Ill until the projection 9a bears against the front surface of the bumper 3 and presses the rear surface of said bumper against the surface 29a of the recessed portion M of wall I2. Bolts Ila and I'll) are then threaded into the apertures 2 la and Nb of wall l2 until the heads 23a and 23b of said bolts bear against the shoulders 25a and 25b in the front portion 511. At that time the bumper guard la is securely fastened to the bumper at the desired location. The heads 23a and 23b of bolts Ila and llb, respectively, do not project beyond the front surface l5a of the front portion 5a and consequently afford no obstruction along said surface and are not adapted to be broken off or otherwise dam aged. 1

While I have stated that the preferred surface of the bumper guard of my invention is spherical, except for the front inwardly directed surface, it will be appreciated that curved surfaces other than those of a sphere may also be employed and a reference to a spherical surface in the claims should be so construed. Furthermore, the inwardly curved surface of the front portion of the bumper guard of my invention might, for example, be replaced by a pair of plane surfaces which are directed inwardly toward each other and, at their intersection, form a line generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bumper to which the bumper guard is attached. These modifications and others which will be suggested by my. disclosure are embraced by this invention as will be apparent from the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A guard element for a bumper, said element I comprising a front portion and a rear portion,

' at least one opening defined by said portions through which the bumper is adapted to extend, and means for securing the two portions together surface of the rear portion is more than hemispherical.

3. The guard element of claim 1 wherein the 10 bumper and the other'portion carries aprojec tion adapted to bear against the bum-pefiand hold it irfSaidrecess.

-v The, uar e em nt. pf a. m .1 wherein t two portions have cooperating projections and.

recesses betweenthein'totiprevent shifting of the partisans-relative to each thereither longitudi; nally of the, bumper or vertically with respe bumper'i's g portions substantially along a diameter of the portion having the spherical surface.

7. The guard element of claim 1 wherein the front portion includes a surface which is a continuation of the spherical surface of the rear portion.

. 8. A guard element for a bumper, said element comprising a front portion having an inwardly curved surface and a rear portion having a spherical surface, at least one opening defined by said portions through'which the bumper is adapted to extend, meansadapted to secure said portions togetheron opposite sides of the bumper, and cooperating interengaging elements of each portion being adapted to prevent relative movement between said two portions when they are secured about the bumper.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the spherical surface extends forwardly of the front surface of the bumper.

10. A guard element for a bumper, said element comprising a front portion having an inwardly curved surface and a rear portion having a spherical surface and means adapted to secure said portions together, said front portion also including a continuation of the spherical surface of the rear portion, the free edge of said rear portion, at its junction with the front portion, overlying in part the adjacent edge of said front portion.

11. A substantially rigid guard element adapted to be connected with a bumper member, said element having a generally spherical surface except for its front face which has an inwardly curved surface, an opening through said element rearwardly of, and at the same horizontal level as, the most inwardly curved part of said inwardly curved surface through which opening the bumper member is adapted'to pass, said inwardly curved surface being adapted to cam a bumper of another automobile into alignment on the same horizontal level as itsbumper member.

13. The uard element of claim 1 wherein there is a line of cleavage between the front and rear portions of the guard with said line of cleavage being forward of the front surface of the bumper.

14. A guard element for a bumpen said element comprising a first portion and a second portion, and means for securing the two portions together upon the bumper with a line of cleavage between the portions, said cleavage line lying in a PAUL M. MITCHELL.

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Nunibl Name i ate 1,457,532 Lyon June 5, ,19 3 1,516,961 Fgench et a1 Nov. 25, 1924 Buck Dec. 14, 1926 10 Number 12 7 Name 7 Dat Jandus Dec. 1, 1936 Taff July 6, 1937 Thunder Oct. 25, 1938 Buchanan Dec. 26, 1939 De Hofimann June 25, 1940 Brooke Jan. 21, 1941 Fageol Oct. 21, 1941 Monckmeir 1 Feb. 17,1942 Verner -1 1- Mar. 19, 1946 

